STATEMENT OF JOHN PARSONS, ASSOCIATE REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR LANDS, RESOURCES, AND PLANNING, NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, RECREATION AND PUBLIC LANDS OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES, CONCERNING H.R. 282, A BILL TO AUTHORIZE THE PYRAMID OF REMEMBRANCE FOUNDATION TO ESTABLISH A MEMORIAL IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OR ITS ENVIRONS TO SOLDIERS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES DURING PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS, TRAINING, TERRORIST ATTACKS, OR COVERT OPERATIONS.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2002

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior on H.R 282, a bill to authorize the Pyramid of Remembrance Foundation to establish a memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs to soldiers who have lost their lives during peacekeeping operations, humanitarian efforts, training, terrorist attacks, or covert operations.

The Department commends the idea of establishing such a memorial, which is particularly timely in light of the approach of the one-year anniversary of September 11.  Lives lost by members of our Armed Services in events that are not formally declared wars are very much on the minds of all Americans these days.  However, we recommend that the bill be amended to provide for the proposed Pyramid of Remembrance to be established on military land, rather than on park land.

The National Capital Memorial Commission, which is responsible for advising Congress on legislation authorizing memorials within the District of Columbia and its environs under the Commemorative Works Act of 1986, considered the proposal contained in H.R. 282 in April, 2001.  The Commission found that Section 3(b) of the Commemorative Works Act, which provides that a military commemorative work may be authorized only to commemorate a war or similar major military conflict or to commemorate a branch of the Armed Services, precludes the location of a military memorial of this nature on park land.  The Commission advised that the most appropriate placement for this memorial would be on a military property.  The Department concurs with the Commission about this matter, and we understand that the sponsor of this legislation, Representative Steven LaTourette, agrees as well that the memorial should be placed on military property. 

For that reason, we recommend that H.R. 282 be amended to authorize the Pyramid of Remembrance to be established on military property and to eliminate the bill’s references to the Commemorative Works Act, which applies only to land in the Nation’s Capital under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and the General Services Administration.  In addition, we note that while the bill authorizes the memorial to honor “members of the Armed Forces of the United States,” the title of the bill refers to a memorial for “soldiers,” a more limited group. We recommend that the bill’s title be amended to use the same term for those who would be honored that is used in the text of the bill.  We would be pleased to work with the subcommittee and Representative LaTourette to draft these suggested amendments.  

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my remarks.  I will be happy to answer any questions you or the other committee members have.